We Are Young
by Yamiga
Summary: AU. Hitman Takaba Akihito is hired by a businessman to kill his rival, Asami Ryuichi. However, due to a slip up, Takaba fails the mission, barely escaping with his life. Unluckily for Takaba, he decided victimized the wrong man, as Asami Ryuchi, just happens to be the leader of the Japanese Underworld.


**Summary: AU. In a world where the Underworld rules, Takaba is a hitman, and one day is hired by a business man to kill his rival, Asami Ryuichi. Unluckily for the witty assassin, this mission takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself momentarily captivated by his victim and unable to pull the trigger. Barely escaping, Takaba manages to run away, however, unbeknownst to him his life has just taken a turn for the worst as he now captured the interest of his "victim", Asami . Now with the top crime lord on his back, life for the witty hitman couldn't have been better.**

**Author's Note: We all know Takaba is not a hit man, but I've decided to make him one. This story isn't meant to be a sad one, I think you'll find it as more of a game, and as usual, our Asami is always steps ahead from anyone he has his eyes on, mainly being Takaba. **

**There are OC's in here, and canon characters, and did I forget to mention; The Underworld rules. Japan and most of Asia are corrupt. So yeah...just picture how America's gonna be in a few years and you'll have a solid idea. And before anyone starts trying to call me out for that comment, just let me say that I am American, so I have the right to say something like that. **

**Pairings: AsamixTakaba (eventually a genuine pairing) AsamixSudoh, FeilongxOC, KanouxAyase**

**Tags: Romance, Suspense, Humor, Angst**

**Warnings: AU, OC'S, Yaoi, Slight OOC'ness. Oh yeah, and don't be surprised if you're hit up with some Okane Ga Nai.**

* * *

_Aim for the head. Take out the guards, then be done with it. _Takaba walked quietly through the hallways of the building, taking in the iron scent of blood. Stepping over a body, he held his gun in a tight grip. His strides were slow, as he did not wish to alert anyone of his presence. Lucky for him, Cho had already taken down the security system, and inevitably the power. Takaba was pretty sure the guests downstairs in the ballroom, noticed that something was going on. But he'd be quick enough, though he wouldn't have time to clean up the mess, however his fingerprints would be concealed, he made sure of that.

Like instructed, he headed down the corridor until he met the red, gold handled door. His target was in that room for sure, and Takaba figured he wasn't alone. He stood there, by the entrance for seconds, pondering and calculating. He knew that despite the blinking light, it would be a while before the power

Taking a deep breath, Takaba kicked the door open, held his gun before him and with swift movements, began to shoot every figure he saw moving in the darkness. There were shouts and screams that followed, as Takaba continued to shoot until everyone was silenced. When finally, the last body hit the ground, and the voices went try, Takaba placed his gun back in his holster.

"Mission complete." He muttered, turning away and walking out of the room.

OoOoOoO

"It wasn't all that hard." Takaba admitted, taking a swig of beer. "I mean, I could have...well..."

"Died." Kou pointed out, drinking his own beverage. "I think you're too classy for that_"

"Classy isn't the right word." The ex-photographer placed his drink down. "I think 'original' is more fitting."

"Original?" Kou repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep." Takaba grinned.

"Well then cheers, to Takaba's originality!" And at that moment, both boys clanged their cups together in a rather victorious manner.

Takaba sighed and placed his drink back on the table. Kou got to talking to a waitress that passed by leaving Takaba to himself.

That mission wasn't as bad as he thought, in fact it was pretty easy...not that he liked it any more than he liked the others. He hated these missions, they were daunting, they were troublesome and they were just reminders of how unfair this whole system was.

It had been nearly twenty years ago, when the Under World took over most of Asia and Europe. The government didn't do anything to stop it- mainly because those working in the government promoted it. The greedy politicians, celebs, diplomats, etc., and now here they were. There was a fine thick line between the rich, and the poor. Takaba fit in perfectly with the poor. He never had a dime that he could spare.

Takaba felt the nostalgia return to him when he remembered the days before he was a hit man, before he was forced to step out of his comfort zone, when he was just getting used to this system. He had just graduated college and was starting out as a freelance photographer. He began taking pictures of whatever interested him - the riots more than likely. Idiotic kids would waste their time rioting, breaking the curfew placed on the lower class, citizens, trying to get their point across. Takaba would only stand there, with his hoodie covering him, concealing his identity, snapping pictures of the protestors.

That was when life had treated him well. That was before the riots became violent, before people lost their lives. And after that, things began to go downhill, for everyone. Takaba couldn't exactly speak for all his friends, but for the most part, he knew they had been affected by this cruel system. Takato had married into a wealthy family and since then, wasn't heard of. Kou was struggling, but doing alright. Yoshida had lost his life in one of the riots. Cho was a hacker, which wasn't uncommon during that time but it was very risky. Mariana was a mercenary, a hit man, much like Takaba except, Takaba tended to stray towards the upper class crowd. Staying a camera man by day, it wasn't hard for him to get into the depths of Tokyo's city and find clients willing to hire him. Mariana liked to work outside of the country whenever she got the chance.

"Akihito!" Kou's angry voice had brought Takaba back to his concentration. "Are you paying tonight?"

"I would, but I haven't gotten my money yet. I'll meet my employer again tomorrow...I'm broke now..." Takaba frowned as he watched Kou pull his wallet out.

"Sorry..." He mumbled.

"No, it's fine…" Kou replied, flagging down a waitress. "Just, be careful with the people that hire you. It's really been getting to me. Guys down here, in the lower class area, have been going missing."

"What do you mean?" Takaba asked.

"Guys like you Takaba. Guys who put themselves in the danger of the upper class. Hit men, hackers…they end up gone. We're not sure if they're dead or not but… it's been happening more…" The waitress came, prompting Kou to end the conversation abruptly. Takaba stared blankly, looking around the small restaurant, attempting to recognize familiar faces. As usual, Takaba was easily able to pick out the identities of many men and women who frequently visited on nights like this. All lower class nonetheless, it seemed like this was the only place many could enjoy themselves. The corrupt government had taken a lot, thank God this place stayed the same.

OoOoOoO

After dinner, Takaba had returned home in time just before the lower class curfew began. While the threat of being thrown in prison for breaking the curfew didn't exactly frighten Takaba, he still didn't want to be caught out after hours. He feared for Kou, who lived on the other side of town. Kou had already had a run in with the authorities more than once, another strike and he'd most likely be thrown in jail himself.

Pushing these morbid thoughts to the back of his mind, Takaba took a quick shower and dressed in his night clothes. He only wore his boxers and a T-Shirt to bed; it was cool that night and with his window open, the draft that came through would be quite comfortable.

That night, Takaba didn't really have a lot to think about. He looked forward to getting paid, but other than that, nothing really lingered in his mind. At least nothing major. Of course, his conversation with Kou began to reoccur before he drifted off into sleep. He vaguely remembered Kou expressing his concerns for Takaba in regards to young men going missing within the upper class regions. As strange as it sounded, Takaba didn't let it bother him as much as it should have. He had confidence in his abilities to stay out of the clutches of the upper class men.

oOoOoOoOo

The next day, Takaba found himself in Shinjuku.

The crowded district was a magnet for the rich and wealthy class. Limos, suits, expensive and name brand items, etc., etc., one could find all that in Shinjuku. Takaba liked to call it 'The land where a piece of metal is worth more than a person', and for the most part, he was true. He knew friend who worked for a wealthy man and was accused of stealing his employers golden heirloom. This resulted in Takaba's friend receiving the death penalty.

Outside, music blared from the clubs, smoke filled the air like a putrid sickness and headlights flashed like firebombs. Luckily for Takaba, he was inside, shielded from all this chaos. He stared out of a window from afar. Currently, he resided in the building of a well-known Law firm. This was the location where he was to meet his client for the second time.

Unfortunately for him, his client hadn't arrived yet. The only other person in the large room with Takaba was a young boy that he'd figured out was his client's, Kanou's assistant. This boy went by the name of Ayase.

Like Takaba, Ayase wore a suit. However, unlike Takaba, this boy held little to no intimidation in his eyes. Only curiosity, wonder and surprisingly, determination. Presently, Ayase sat focused, at the large table in the even larger room, meddling with a pill bottle, a liquid canister, and an injection tube. Takaba turned back every minute or so to see with Ayase was doing. For a few seconds, he pondered on questioning him, but he decided against it. He allowed the silence to fill the space between them_

"I'm sorry," Ayase's voice broke whatever silence existed. "He'll be here soon, Kanou I mean." Takaba looked back at the troubled boy. This was the first time he'd seen him, he didn't remember him being around when Kanou had first hired him.

"That's fine, I'm not in a hurry." Takaba replied turning to face Ayase. "So…you work for Kanou? You're an assistant?"

"Yep! As of last month!" Ayase beamed. "It's kind of an internship…I guess…I'm a University Student."

"I just graduated college." Takaba felt somewhat of a connection. "I went to the International College in Nagasaki…Saint Peter's University."

Ayase blinked his large eyes. "I've heard of it…I hear it's different_"

"Very." Takaba interjected. "But it's worth it…"

At that moment, Ayase placed the injection tube down and slowly stood up. He walked over to Takaba and joined him by the window.

"Are you from around here, Shinjuku? Do you live here?" Ayase looked up at Takaba. "You're dressed pretty nicely."

"It would be a miracle if I could even afford a block of concrete from Shinjuku…" Takaba replied. "I'm flat out broke, and you? You're dressed pretty nicely as well."

Ayase shook his head. "I really don't have a dime to my name…Kanou helps me out a lot…and…and I help him out a lot." Takaba swore he saw a smile grow on the young boy's face. He made way to ask him about it, but at that moment, someone came storming into the room, prompting both Takaba and Ayase to look back.

Needless to say, it was Kanou who entered. Takaba remembered him almost perfectly from last time. His hair was somewhat messed up and he seemed tired. He carried a briefcase with him, like last time. He took a deep breath and the placed it on the table.

Takaba hadn't even realized how quickly Ayase had rushed to the table to retrieve the objects that he had abandoned moments before. In silence, he approached Kanou with the pill bottle. It appeared he had placed the injection and liquid canister in his pocket.

"Later Ayase…" Takaba had heard Kanou say. "Not now…"

And the two continued to go back and forth until finally, young Ayase slumped his shoulders in defeat. Kanou had whispered something in Ayase's ear and eventually he left. From his place, Takaba could see the reluctance in both of their eyes before Ayase exited the room. This made Takaba wonder if something else was present between them. However, that was highly unlikely. Ayase was a poor intern, Kanou was a wealthy CEO. Perhaps Takaba was seeing things, but it was nearly impossible for anything above an employee relationship to exits between the two. Upper class and lower class just didn't mix.

The clicking of Kanou's shoes brought Takaba back into reality, as the older man stood behind him. Turning around, Takaba extended his hand and instinctively, Kanou shook it.

"Excellent job on your assignment." Kanou began. "I'm guessing you want your pay now?"

Takaba's hand dropped to his side. "That would be nice." He then placed both of his hands in his pockets. "I do have a bit of loans I need to pay off." He joked, as Kanou reached into his jacket, withdrawing an envelope. He handed it to Takaba.

"Thanks…" Takaba mechanically spoke, grabbing and placing the check into his pocket. "I should be on my way now_" Takaba turned on his heel but was stopped when Kanou took hold of his arm.

"If you don't mind, I have another favor to ask of you."

Takaba rose an eye brow. "I have to get going_"

"I'm offering you fifty million yen."

OoOoOo

The two had relocated to a smaller room.

There were two couches with a single table separating them. Each man took to sitting on a different couch. On the table before them, Kanou had placed a file on its surface. Takaba had taken it in his hands and opened it.

"Asami Ryuichi…" Takaba began, reading the name, and flipping through papers, observing various pictures. Kanou presently sat across from Takaba with his arms crossed.

"Yeah." Kanou replied. "He's been at the top of the charts for years now…a leading competitor, Yakuza, CEO, whatever you want to call him."

"Just like you?" Takaba spoke, raising an eye brow. "You're all practically the same."

"You're funny." Kanou smiled. "But we're not here to joke."

"So…"

"He's a future threat to my business and company. He'll be a problem for my successor." Kanou glared at Takaba. "I need him dead."

"You want me to kill him?" Takaba placed the folder down, yet he still held a picture.

"I didn't stutter kid." Kanou angrily replied. "Do you have a problem, I can always find someone else."

Quickly, Takaba shook his head. "It's nothing…I'm just curious. Are you giving away your company or something like that, are you quitting_"

"I'm dying." Kanou cut him off. "I'll be gone within the next year." He paused for a while as Takaba stared, feeling little to no sympathy. Kanou would just be another wealthy person the lower class civilians wouldn't have to deal with.

"And you're successor I'm guessing wouldn't be able to hold his own against this Asami?" Takaba asked.

"Right." Kanou replied. "Just like he wouldn't be able to hold his own against the other man you killed."

Takaba paused. "Is you're successor a family member or a business partner?"

Kanou smiled. "Neither." He rubbed a hand through his hair. "It's Ayase."

Takaba knew it wasn't his place to voice his opinion, but it took every fiber in his being for him to keep his mouth shut. However, he knew his facial expression reflected his inner confusion.

"It's difficult, this situation, but I've made my decision. Ayase has no idea what's going on and I want it to stay that way until I tell him. Your only job in this scenario is to kill Asami Ryuichi. After that, you'll get your money."

Takaba stared at the picture he held.

This man, Asami Ryuichi, looked powerful. Perhaps it was his narrow, golden eyes that made Takaba feel this way, almost as if the picture itself was piercing through his soul. Shaking his head, Takaba placed the picture flat on the table and stared at Kanou.

"I'm in." He breathed. "Just give me the information_"

"Everything you need is in the folder." Kanou grinned. "Just make sure you get the job done."

* * *

**Next chapter Asami! Next week is my last week of school! YASS. And on the upside, today has been a very wonderful day. I mean, it just has been. My grade in one class jumped up to a B…and I got an award at my banquet, I worked enough courage to go take picture with my senior crush…etc.**

**Anyway, I hope you like this new idea. Please tell me what you think, and forgive me if Ayase and Kanou are somewhat OOC, but I didn't like the idea of Kanou actually capturing Ayase in here. And also, Kanou is ill, and he is dying as he says. The tube and other items that Ayase had was Kanou's medicine. As the story progresses, you'll figure out that the medicine isn't doing anything…and Kanou knows this, Ayase doesn't.**

**And oh yeah, tell me what you think about Takaba. I like a strong Takaba…mercenary, hitman, whatever you want to call him! Anyway, that's it for this chapter and a special shout out to Vykki Q., who resurfaced this idea. This story was literally sitting in my documents folder. She left a review prompting me to publish it so kudos to her. And lastly, I don't own Finder Series, nor do I Okane Ga Nai.**

**Have a nice day.**

**God Bless!**


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